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Sunday, June 30, 2013

It was my birthday a week ago (YES one year older. weird?) I didn't want anything big- just hanging with the people I love and go sailing. It was really nice, relaxing and rejuvenating. Then we had a family member come visit us for a few days and that was a blast as well. She actually really motivated me, she was telling me how running cleared her mind, got her away from her daily worries and made her feel really good.... so- I am going to start running. YIKES. I am not a runner (yet) and I never considered myself a runner. But like anything else, if you put your mind to it you get it. So, I will start running 3-4 times a week, start slow and get my km in. I am changing hospitals and won't be riding my bike 26km a day so its the perfect opportunity to get my running legs on. I have also eliminated gluten from my diet completely and am waiting to see some results (or not). I will do no-gluten for another week (its been two weeks so far) and then re-introduce it and see what happens. Then I will start eliminating other things (fructose, random foods etc) to see if it makes me feel any better.so far I have noticed a difference but in truth, I also left certain other foods away that I know make my stomach cramp... so. in the end, whatever works out is awesome but maybe I should do it one step at a time...I am quite excited about my running challenge, I haven't signed up for a race or anything, maybe someday but for now my challenge is to get that number of km up and my confidence going. I have started this challenge a few times, gone running for a week or two regularly and then stop again (due to weather, time or whatever reasons I could suck out of my fingers) SO. The best way to achieve something is to set a GOAL.

My goal for the first three months of my new age:I will Start running today (30.06.2013) and will run for 3 months (this actually made my heart jump a bit) 3x a week AT LEAST. Even if I am on holiday or whatever, no excuses (excluded: injury and sickness)After the 3 months I will rethink my challenge and maybe even sign up for a race. who knows.So this is a shout out to my cousin who got me inspired to become a runner even though I thought I would NEVER consider myself one in my entire life!!!Challenges are fun, inspiring and motivational. What are you challenging yourself with?WOOT WOOT!Treating myself with a delicious curry after my run! Mh!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

did you figure out the movie quote ^^^Don't get me wrong, I love living with my husband and having someone there whenever I come home to talk to eat with giggle with and all the fun things. BUT. who doesn't like a place to themselves for a lil while?

I really like to be alone sometimes. I forget that every now and then and I realised that I don't always take that me time that I need. One thing that I have trouble with is that I eat for two every night no hesitations (I just can't get the one portion cooking thing right)....So tonight I tried to make gnocchis. I boiled and mashed some potatoes, added a tbsp flax seeds and 2 tbsp water and a clove of minced garlic and it was really nice and sticky! I was super happy because I didn't want to add any wheat (due to my last post I'm going wheat free for a lil while) aaaand I was able to make them into really cute little balls and I was stoked cause I read a few posts on how hard it is to make them and I was SO confident in my little gnocchi balls I was actually thinking 'whats the big fuss, they are the PERFECT texture, these blogs need to chiiiilllaaaaaaax' So I thought the best thing to do is to heat the pan real nice and hot with coconut oil so that when I put the gnocchis in they fry on the outside and get nice and crisp and then when I flip them they are all done and ready.... In theory I think I am right but in actual time and hunger management I was impatient, flipped them too early and ended up with one big lump of fried mashed potatoes. BUT. mhmhmhmhmmhmhmh.DOESN'T THAT SOUND DEEEEEHHHHHLLLLLLEEEESHHHHHOOOOOOSSS??? heck yah peeps it wasn't gnocchis but it sure was a great lonesome meal of eating my belly full. Here's the recipe. (!!!!) (!!!) (!!) (!)now I am going to tend to painting my nails and watching all the Sandra Bullock movies I have.

Cheerios!

New Age Gnocchis:6 Potatoes1 clove garlic1 tbsp ground flaxseeds2 tbsp water2 Medium tomatoeshand full of fresh parsleyhand full of grated parmesan cheese1tbsp coconut oilsalt and pepper to tasteDirections: 1.Peel and Boil the potatoes.2. mash them with a fork, add flaxseeds, water and garlic3. form little balls 4. heat coconut oil in pan5. drop little balls into pan carefully, WAIT till they brown a bit, then flip one by one 6. let that side brown as well7. add the tomatoes, fry for a minute8. add the parsley DONE! then add the cheese and voila maybe yours turned out better looking than mine :)Guten Appetit!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

For most of my life I have had digestive problems. Constipation, bloating, can't eat this- can't eat that, abdominal pain... And let me tell you, it aint fun.About two years ago I was quite stressed out and my stomach/intestine started to flair up again massively and I gave it all of my attention- I went to the doctor about once a week saying something must be wrong with me, that lead into anxiety attacks thinking I have some serious illness. They checked my blood, did an ulta sound, took a stomach biopsy, stool sample, checked me on celiacs disease and so forth. I do have a lactose intolerance (but its not so bad yet) and all other tests came back negative. Yes, that is positive news but to me it was a little upsetting because that meant I didn't know how to fix it.... I went to two doctors to get two different opinions and one said I had a 'nervous stomach' and the other said I had 'Irritable bowl/stomach syndrom'.I read up on it and its basically 6 months on and off of all the symptoms means you have irritable bowl syndrom. Nausea, bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea constipation, abdominal pain, you name it. Researchers don't know what it is that makes these symptoms appear, but some think that the nerves inside the intestinal tract are more sensitive, which means that normal digestion can cause pain, bloating etc. It is greatly discomforting but doesn't lead to any harmful deseases.I suffer from it pretty badly. When ever the weather changes, I have more stomach issues. When I eat 'whatever' I have stomach issues, when I am stressed out I have stomach issues, when I am travelling I have stomach issues. I'm sure you can see the pattern here.The biggest struggle for me is to accept that I am a complicated eater. I hate going to a restaurant and looking at the menue and in my mind throwing out half of the items on there knowing 'that will give me cramps, that will make me bloat, that will that will that will'.The doctors have said to keep a food diary and I have started before, and given up, it is a real hassle writing down EVERYTHING you eat and how you feel an hour afterwards but.. hey. I am starting one again. Make the right choices and feel better. YES!This is something that I am able to eat with very little stomach issues after!

Monday, June 10, 2013

I'm a little sick right now with a head cold and I feel like it's really brought me back to reality. I was able to stay home and lie on the couch with no hard feelings. I love it sometimes. Especially now where the weather is SOOO nice outside it's really hard to justify to myself to stay indoors. But, I did. And it was a success. I still feel groggy but will enjoy it while it lasts. No other option anyways lol. It gets me so calm inside, to just be. Next time I feel stressed out I just have to tap into the calmness of being home on the couch on a lazy lazy sunday. Mhmhm. Summer. Certain seasons always bring certain memories back, I remember we moved back to berlin right during this time and I remember the feelings of new adventure I had. Scared but soooo excited for something new. When ever I go into our kitchen it smells JUST like 4 years ago (due to the tree outside not my cooking) I LOVE the smells that each season brings. A smell can really transport me back in to the past, certain perfumes can release certain emotions in an instant. Crazy how the mind works that way.I suppose we can also control it the other way around, if you are stressed, you trick yourself and smell... a lemon? very fresh and relaxing....actually... sunscreen would be nicer to smell, thats a real holiday smell!I struggle with finding that calmness inside of myself sometimes. I really work on it to find it at LEAST once a day, to stay sane but I find that if everyone around me is so alive and chatty and crazy I just get swept up in it. The other day I had a patient who had knee surgery and I had to give him some exercises to do at home and he was so fidgety and spoke insanely fast, kept interrupting me and trying to finish my sentences (!!!) every time I showed him a new exercise -- in the middle of it he would be like 'What's that for?'..... Needless to say, I was so overwhelmed with what was happening I was NOT my calm self inside! At some point I was actually thinking 'NEED. TO. GO. NEED. TO. GO' hahaha. And only afterwards I realised what had happened, duh right, afterwards you are always sooo much smarter...oh well, he got his exercises in about 10 minutes- sped talked through it so he wouldn't interrupt me!

So, goal for life? Keep Calm and Carry On.If you need a full belly (when I'm sick I get crazy hungry), make this dish!

Saturday, June 08, 2013

Haven't been writing for a while, so much has been going on and I had such little time to write... My husbands mom and cousin came for his 30th birthday as a SURPRISE (from Canada). I must say, it was the hardest secret EVER to keep. I actually felt quite guilty on the day of the surprise.. I was at the airport picking them up and my husband called me and asked what I was up to and I obviously had to lie... but the best part is, he had NO clue. So we got back from the airport, the two visitors sat outside at a cafe, with canada wigs on and I asked my husband to come downstairs to get a coffee with me. He did. He didn't recognise his mom and cousin at first but when he did I was so excited that I almost puked. HAhaHa. Surprises are so fun and I'm so glad it's over so I don't have to keep secrets any more!!!!So for the past two weeks I have been hanging out with my family that is so far away and it has been a blast-- A lot of eating, a lot of laughing and a lot of dancing. Right now summer has come along and my allergies (hay-fever) are so bad that I might have to stay in doors as much as possible. I have noticed that eating less milk products and wheat products makes the symptoms better... but whoever has hay-fever the way I do.. I feel your pain. It really obstructs my life at times. The visit gave me a taste of Canada and my life there. I miss it. I feel that a little part of me always stays in the places that I lived in and I wish I could take it all with me but that's just not how it goes...I gave my husband a trip to Rome for his bday!!!! So be ready Italy, for in July we're coming to eat as much pasta and pizza and esspressosss as we can possibly fit in our bellies!!!!!!

And how best to enjoy summer? With a wonderful rawplantbased cheese cake! (this was his bday cake, which btw he thought was store bought.. what a great compliment!)

Directions:1. Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.2. Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.3. In the most powerful food processor / blender you own, place all filling ingredients (except berries) and blend on high until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient).4. Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it, you can’t make a mistake!) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. Place in freezer until solid.5. To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices.